District



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. H. DONOHUE & M. GORE.

HOSE BRIDGE FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

No. 439,868. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

T. H. DONOHUE & M. GORE. HOSE BRIDGE FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

No. 439,868. Patented N0v.4, 1890.

I 1 g lllml r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. DONOHUE AND MICHAEL GORE, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

- HOSE-BRIDGE FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,868,

dated November 4, 1 890.

Application filed April 12, 1890 Eerie 1N0. 347,690. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS H. 'DONOHUE and MICHAEL GORE, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hose-Bridges for Railway-Tracks; and we do hereby declare the following to be a tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to portable bridges for firemens hose, and has for its object to provide a simple and convenient device for supporting the hose in an elevated position across streets and roadways when necessary to cross the same, so as to leave an unobstructed passage-way underneath for cars and other vehicles; and the inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in each figure, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the bridge set up and supporting a line of hose ready for use. Fig. 2 is a side view showing a section of one of the tripods or trestles and a section of the bridge set up as in use. Fig. 3 is aperspective view showing a section of one of the trestles folded together. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one of the trestles and one section of the bridge folded together ready to be placed on a vehicle. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the head of one of the end braces. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views in perspective showing the upper portion of the legs and the parts of the hinge-j oint between the legs and bridge, the parts being separated. Fig. 10 is a perspective View showing the application of a modified form of a stop-plate below the joint of the legs to limit the spread of the latter, the brace of the tripod being removed. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the hinge-plate with the stop-plate connected therewith. Fig. 12 is a face view of the stop-plate. Fig. 13

full, clear, and exact descripis a perspective view of the head of one of the tripods, showing another form of stop for holding the tripods; and Fig. 14: is a side view of one of the legs of the tripod, showing a separate stop-plate secured thereto.

The bridge is composed of two straight bars A, separably joined at their meeting ends, the outer ends being hinged upon and supported by tripods, which, for convenience of description, we shall refer to as being composed of two legs and a brace, the parts marked B being designated as the legs and the part C as the brace. The hinged and upper portion of the legs are preferably of cast or nalleable iron having sockets in their lower ends, with hinge lugs or projections b at their upper ends, one side of each lug being cut away, as shown, so that when the legs are 'put together the lugs will project past each other. The lugs b are each formed with a bolt-hole in the plane of the inner side of the leg, and are secured together by an eyebolt D, the whole forming what is commonly known as a rule-joint.

I The head of the brace C is formed, as shown in Fig. 5, with hinge-lugs cl projecting inward from the inner face of the brace, the lugs having between them a sufficient space for the reception of the head of eyebolt D, which is secured by atransverse bolt E, passing through both lugs and through-the head of the eyebolt D, and is held by a nut. The

legs'B are then placed together, and the stem of the bolt D is passed through the openings 0 in the lugs b of the legs and is secured by a nut e, thereby fastening the parts together. The upper inner faces of the lugs d andbrace are straight, and when in position form a vertical bearing against the outer sides of the upper ends of the legs 13, and thereby constitute a lever-lock with the pin E to prevent the brace from spreading. The lower inner faces of these lugs are curved to enable the brace C to be folded down against the legs 13, and when so folded it is turned on the boltE, which serves as a pivot by which the brace is turned into line with the legs 13.

F designates a wedge-shaped hinge-plate carrying at its top a bar f, the ends of which project beyond the side edges of the plate, as shown clearly in Fig. 8. When the parts are put together and the joint formed, the plate F lies between the lugs b of the legs and is secured by the bolt D, which passes through the bolt-hole c in the lugs and the hole in the plate F. When the lugs B are folded together, the plate F is given an upward throw, which admits of a rocking motion from side to side that enables the bar or bridge-piece A to be turned so as to lie straight or parallel with the legs, that the tripod and bar may occupy less room and be more conveniently carried, as shown in Fig. 4. When the legs of the tripod are spread out and it is in position for use, the ends of the barf project out over the upper ends of the legs B and form a stop or brace to lock the legs in position and'prevent them from further spreading.

A forwardly-extending arm crlug G at the upper end of .the plate F carries a hinge-pin g, somewhat in front of and above the bar and parallel thereto. Upon the ends of the hinge-pin g are placed hinge-straps .J, constructed as shown in Fig. 9. The outer ends of thehinge-straps extend out over the top of the brace :C, as shown in Fig. 2., and the inner ends are of sufficient length to afford a secure fastening against the underside of the bar A. The outer ends of the bars A are bolted upon the hinge-straps J, the arrangement being as represented in Fig. 2. These bars should be wide enough to cover both of the hinge-straps and to aiford a support for the hose, ,and should be of a length when joined together to .provide space for the passage .of carsorother vehicles between the tripods.

K designates a shoe-coupling for the inner ends of the bars A. It consists of two flat side plates is and a bottom plate, the whole forming an open shoe, the side plates being so spaced as to receive between their oppositely-projecting ends the ends of the two bars A, which rest on the bottom of the shoe, and one of them is secured therein by transverse bolts passing through the plates and bar, and the other adjusted therein and held by pins when the bridge is set up, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4.

The plates is should be of such lengthas to admit of the use of bolts and pins through each bar at such distances apart as to make a stilt and rigid connection to support the weight of the hose. H designates hooks attached to cords or ropes h, passed over pulleys .or projections I near the outer ends and on both sides of the bars A. These hooks may be used for the purpose of raising the hose L into position to be placed in the .saddles a upon the bridge afterthe bridge has been set up over the railway-track M. The hooks may also be used to support additional lines of hose, which may be suspended intermediately by a hook N, connected with and depending from the shoe-coupling K. The hooks H are secured in position by fastening the cords h to cleats t on the legs B.

The bars A being uncoupled and taken apart may be folded upon the legs of their respective tripods, and the latter and the braces folded together, as represented in Fig. 4. We do not, however, confine our invention to the particular barf on the hinge-plate before set forth for locking the tripod in position when set up for service, as this bar may be dispensed with and other slightly-modified forms of our locking device may be used, as shown in Figs. 10 to 14 of the drawings, in which P designates an angular or curved stop-plate, which is bolted upon the rear face of the elongated hinge-plate F and has in its ends slots or elongated openings 13 for the reception of pins or bolts q, whicha-re fixed in and project from the legs B. The openings f 10 are of such length and so arranged in the plate as to permit the legs 'to be opened or spread apart the requisite distance and there to be securely held as against further'spreading, and adapted to be folded together, as be- .fore explained.

As illustrated .in Fig. 13, the legs may be formed wit-l1 upward extension-lugs R, cast or otherwise formed integral therewith on the side of their upper ends, so that when the legs are spread apart the lugs will bear against the sides of the bars A and form stops to limit the spread of the legs, or, if preferred, these lugs B. may be formed of separate angular plates of iron and fastened onto the side of the upper ends of the legs by screws or bolts, as shown in Fig. 14.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A hose-bridge composed of folding tripods and supporting bars hinged at their Outer ends upon the said tripods, separably connected at their inner ends in a shoe Kby transverse pins or bolts passing through said shoe and bars, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the legs B, hinged at their upper ends, of the hinge-plate F, arranged in the joint and by the hinge-bolt D, the supporting-bars hinged at their outer ends to said hinge-plates and separably connected at their inner ends, and stops to limit the spread of the legs, as set forth.

3. A hose-bridge composed of folding tripods having the legs B hinged together, hingeplates F, arranged in the joints of the legs and held by the hinge-bolt D, the supportingbars hinged at their outer ends to said hingeplate and having their inner ends separably connected in a shoe by transverse pins through the shoe and ends of the bars, and stops to limit the spread of the legs, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the legs 13, hinged IIO at their upper ends, of a hinge-plate F, held the brace C, jointed to the eyebolt, and the in the joint of the legs by a bolt D, said plate bar A, hinged to the plate F, as set forth. having at its top the bar f, the ends of which In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures extend out over the tops of the legs and form in presence of two Witnesses.

5 stops to limit the spread of the legs, as set forth. 7 THOS. H. DONOHUE.

' 5. The combination, with the legs B, the MICHAEL GORE. hinge-plate F, carrying the stop-bar f for Witnesses:

limiting the spread of the legs, and the eye- 0. T. PEGK,

to bolt D, whereby the parts are connected, of E. F. DREW. 

